Embark on an Adventurous Trekking: North Sikkim Tour

North Sikkim is one of the largest and least populated regions of Sikkim, with long borders over mountainous terrain with Tibet Autonomous region of China, Nepal and even the Kingdom of Bhutan. Trekking in the area is few and far between, even though the potential is enormous, and this is a keen talking point for those looking to explore hidden gems in Sikkim. OurGuest ensures a well-curated itinerary, comfortable accommodations, and expert guidance, ensuring an unforgettable Lashar Valley trek in your North SIkkim tour.
 

Alexandar David Neel Cave- One such off beat hike is the Alexander David Neel cave, located near Lachen at an altitude of 13500 ft. and accessible via a hike form the nearest motorable road en-route to the Gurudongmar lake.
 

Alexander David Neel was born In Paris , France at the peak of the Victoria Era, where new found thoughts and expressions that started finding light, were still largely reserved for the men. In her lifespan of 101 years, David Neel was a remarkable lady, an absolute Non Conformist, and in the true spirit of adventure and soul searching, travelled thousands of kilometers on plane, boats, foot, mule, and even Yak, where she found herself as a guest of His Majesty, the King of Sikkim in early 1914 and embarked on a meditation retreat in the high Himalayas of Northern Sikkim at more than 13000 ft. 
 

The Cave where she meditated for over 3 years, is still very much present today and is never really visited by travelers as it takes a good stiff 3 hours of hiking, to access from the nearest road and moreover, not really known in the tourist map!

Chopta Valley- Exploring the highlands of North Sikkim is barely ever done on foot as most prefer to take the typical vehicle route of Lake Gurudongmar and Yumthang Valley, and these barely scratch the surface of the actual beauty that lies in the region.

Chopta Valley is another such beautiful valley accessible very easily from the main road to Gurudongmar Lake but almost no tourists ever get off the vehicle and hike down to this floral paradise. The valley is lush with alpine species of Rhododendron, Primula, the exotic Cobra Lily to name a few. Chopta is a wide valley and one can spend an entire afternoon exploring its length on foot while never really being too far away from an access to a road.
 

For the more adventurous and keener trekker, Lashar Valley is a surreal landscape about 4 hours hiking from Thangu, the last civilian settlement in the Lachen-Gurudongmar route. Lashar is known only locally for the yearly Drukpa-Tsheshi festival that is celebrated by the nomadic herdsmen, the Dokpas of the highlands. This is the Buddhist festival celebrating the first teachings of Bhuddha to his first five disciples, and it takes on a local flavor where the Dokpa also pay homage to the mountain gods of Sikkim. Lashar serves as the base for a host of treks that one can embark on from here that can range from day hikes to entire round expeditions. One such day long hike is the visit to the Yule-Khantse Glacier about 4 hours trekking from base camp at Lashar.

In the age of ever increasing accessibility to locations near and far, North Sikkim with these few gems tucked away quietly waiting to be discovered, are a real treat for the keen travelertraveller and much deserving to be shared. These are sensitive ecological zones, with a very rich biodiversity that need gentle handling especially when opened to more visitors.

Next time you are in the region looking to explore high mountains and exotic destinations, North Sikkim is a serious contender to be right up in the bucket list.